Water & sewerage tariff reform

The City of Gold Coast is reforming the way we charge our customers for water and sewerage services. The reform process commenced 6 years ago with the aim of simplifying existing tariffs while ensuring tariffs reflect a user pays approach.

What we are proposing

The tariff reform process is ongoing (see below on what has been done) with a number of changes proposed to be implemented from 1 July 2022. The proposed reforms will consider:

• the definition applied to residential and non-residential accounts
• non-residential water service charges to be based on the actual meter size rather than a deemed meter size – historically, this was determined using the previous year's consumption recorded on the meter
• service charges applied to vacant land
• incentives to encourage sub-metering properties that are not individually metered.

We are currently determining the impact the proposed tariff reform options will have on our customers. We will engage with non-residential customers who are financially impacted in the first half of the 2021–22 financial year.

What has been implemented to date

• July 2014: Marina complexes now treated as non-residential to ensure consistency in application of charges.
• January 2014: Marina berths serviced by an adjoining residential property no longer receive an additional water and sewerage service charge.
• July 2015: The approach to charging non-residential trade waste accounts changed to reflect both the volume of sewage discharged, as well as the risks the discharge poses to the sewerage system. This approach was broadened from 1 July 2016 to reflect sewer admission standards and a customer's pre-treatment process and history of compliance.
• July 2015: Water and sewerage service charges were removed from storage cages and garages associated with a lot within a Community Titles Scheme.
• July 2015: Residential units less than 61 square metres now receive a 50% reduction to their sewerage service charge. This was undertaken to ensure consistency with the 50% reduction applied to the water service charge.
• July 2015: Non-residential fire services no longer have a consumption factor applied.
• July 2014 to July 2016: All residential and non-residential fees and charges reviewed and refined.
• July 2018: Introduction of Class C Recycled Water usage charges for non-residential customers, starting at $0.01 per kilolitre.
• July 2018: All customers benefited from a $1 reduction in the annual sewerage access charge as a result of introducing usage charges for Class C Recycled Water.
• July 2019: Change to the timing of quarterly billing, with customer bills going out shortly after the meter is read.
• July 2019: Water and sewerage access charges billed in arrears rather than in advance, meaning all charges on customer bills are for the same period of time.